English: Two complete beehive quern stones tops of Roman date. The stones are domed with a fluted upper surface and central perforations. Both stones appear to have side perforations though these are extremely worn on one.

Unmalted grain would have been poured into the vertical central perforation while the stone was turned by a handle projecting from the side perforations. The upper stone was held in place over the lower stone by a bridge or rynd of wood or metal - frequently iron - which is likely to account for the iron plug in one of these examples.

Quern stones have been used since the Neolithic period to mill grain for flour and other food stuff meaning that dating of such objects is difficult as they were durable objects with a long life span. The examples however are most likely Roman in date due to the flat grinding surface.